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Viewing E-Cigarette Use May Keep Smokers From Quitting

THURSDAY, May 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- When young smokers see someone "vape" a smokeless e-cigarette, it may help trigger the urge to smoke a traditional cigarette, a new study finds.

"There could be effects of being in the company of an e-cigarette user, particularly for young smokers," study author Andrea King, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, said in a statement provided by the university.

"For example, it's possible that seeing e-cigarette use may promote more smoking behavior and less quitting," she said.

In the study, 60 young adult smokers took part in what they thought was a study about social interactions. An actor talked to them while smoking an e-cigarette or regular cigarette, and then the participants were tested about their urge to smoke.

Watching someone else smoke an e-cigarette boosted the urge to smoke a regular cigarette at about the same level as watching someone smoke a regular cigarette, according to researchers.

"We know from past research that seeing regular cigarette use is a potent cue for someone to want to smoke," King said. "We did not know if seeing e-cigarette use would produce the same effect [on smokers], but that is exactly what we found. When we retested participants 20 minutes after exposure, the desire to smoke remained elevated."

The researchers stress that the study took place in a laboratory setting, so it's not clear what would happen in real life.

"E-cigarette use has increased dramatically over the past few years, so observations and passive exposure will no doubt increase as well," King noted.